Digimon Hakusho
by Gemini Star01
Summary: Yu Yu Hakusho-Digimon Cross! Kari's developing a serious a crush on Kurama. T.K.'s getting really jealous. And Yusuke's having his own girl problems! Kari and Keiko are kiddnapped, and T.K. unwillingly joins the Urameshi Team to save them... CH. 4 UP!
1. The Mysterious Stranger

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Okay…This is a really weird, but strangely seams true story that popped in my head a few days ago. It's a Yu Yu Hakusho/Digimon crossover, so I'm not sure where I'll post it…Probably in Digimon, where I'm a bit more well-known.

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Expected Main Characters: Kari, T.K., Kurama, Yusuke, Keiko and an OC villain.

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Relationships: Takari, Yusuke/Keiko, and a little one-sided Kari/Kurama for quite a stretch

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, Yu Yu Hakusho, or anything else that I obviously don't own in this story. But this idea and all new characters are mine, so don't use 'em!

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Digimon Hakusho

Chapter 1: The Mysterious Stranger

Kari walked home, a bit late. She had stayed after school for photography club, so the sun getting pretty low in the sky. She walked quickly along, thinking deep thoughts and staring at the pavement.

It'd been two years since they'd beaten MaloMyotismon. She was fourteen, in her last year at Odaiba Middle School. The Digital World had been rather calm these past two years, they'd been able to get one with their normal, everyday lives. As the Digimon seamed to thrive better in the Digital World, they remained in there all the time, and the kids went mostly for group picnics on holidays, not to mention every weekend.

Her brother, Tai, had left for college in Kyoto, but he still called and e-mailed regularly. The older DigiDestined had mostly gone to different places. Matt and Sora were living together on-campus in Sapporo. Joe was attending med school in Osaka. Izzy was at Tokyo U, and Mimi was going to an American college in Maine. Each of them showed up for the group picnics on occasion, and they had full-blown reunions every three months.

As for the younger DigiDestined, they'd each joined their own clubs or teams that kept them busy after school. Kari had photography club, and worked for the school newspaper. Davis was playing on the soccer team, while T.K. was the star player of the varsity basketball team. Ken had transferred to Odaiba High, so he was in the same grade as Yolei at the Senior High School. The two of them were in the computer club, and currently dating. And Cody…What else? He was still as serious as ever in Kendo, although he was taking a bit of interest in Ken-justsu as well.

Kari was a little depressed. Well…Not _depressed, _really, but bored. It was strange. During the battles she always hoped and prayed that they'd end, for good, and there'd be peace. But now that they had this extended peace…It was boring, somehow.

She suddenly ran into something and fell back, scattering her things and somebody else's everywhere. "Ow…"

"Oh, excuse me." a male voice said from above her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…I think so…" Kari looked up and froze. The boy was leaning over to help her up, holding out his hand and smiling a wonderful, heart-melting smile. He looked about 15, with long, very red hair and gorgeous, green eyes. He was dressed in the dark blue school uniform of a local private school.

"I'm sorry about that." he said, pulling her to her feet. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"No, it's my fault." Kari sputtered, crouching down to pick up her things. "I was spacing out, that's all…I ran into you."

The boy leaned down with her and helped gather up her books. He handed them to her with another smile. "Here you go."

"Thanks…" she stood as he picked up two notebooks from the ground. She was taken aback by this guy. He was so…handsome…and charming…

The boy brushed the red bangs back from his eyes and started to leave, waving back at her. "Well, I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah…See ya." Kari waved as he disappeared down the street, then her face broke into a blush. "He's so…cute…"

Still blushing, she began hurrying her way home. The boy was already on the roof of a nearby building, watching the girl go. A short, black-haired figure appeared behind him, silent as usual and carrying a long, thin sword. "It seams you have another fan, Kurama."

"You think so, Hiei?" Kurama asked with a laugh.

"Of course." Hiei sigh, rolling his eyes. "Those human girls flock around you like flies to a corpse."

Kurama was not taken aback by Hiei's slightly disturbing metaphor. The two were old friends, he was used to it by now. "But this girl…" he muttered. "She's different, somehow…"

"'Different?'" Hiei scoffed. "Like what?"

"Her spirit energy is very unique." Kurama noted. "There's something different about her, I don't think she's a normal teenager."

"Hmph." Hiei looked over the darkening city. "She doesn't look very special to me."

"I know." Kurama was distracted. "But somehow, Hiei, I don't think we'll see the last of that girl any time soon."

~ * ~ * ~

"Yusuke!"

The spirit detective shook himself. He'd been spacing out again. Keiko, sitting across the table from him at the coffee shop, was looking pretty annoyed.

"Jeez, can't you pay attention for two seconds?" she sighed. "I've asked you the same question three times!"

"Give me a break, Keiko." he sighed, mixing another lump of sugar into his coffee.

"You've been acting really weird lately." his girlfriend gave him a slightly worried look. "What's up? You haven't had a mission for a while now…"

"That's the problem." Yusuke sighed. "I'm bored now…No missions for three months, it's starting to get dull around here."

"You should be happy." Keiko blinked. "Isn't dull and boring better that almost getting killed?"

"I dunno." Yusuke shrugged. "I guess I'm not the kinda guy who can just put up with this kinda thing…"

~ * ~ * ~

Kari walked slowly down the street, looking left and right for the red-haired boy she'd met yesterday. He'd been all she thought about, all night and all day long. Today she was going to introduce herself…

"Kari! Hey, Kari, wait up!"

She turned back. T.K. was running up behind her, waving and smiling a wide, excited smile. She stopped and turned to her long-time best friend. "Hi T.K."

"Hey." the boy grinned, coming to her side. "What's up? You usually don't take this way home."

"I just wanted…A little change of scenery, that's all." Kari muttered out her excuse.

"Hm…Okay." T.K. shrugged. "It's kinda late, too. Photography club again?"

"Nope." Kari shook her head. "School paper. Got a big story coming up, everyone's excited." T.K. nodded thoughtfully. "What about you? Basketball?"

"Yeah." T.K. popped a crick out of his neck. "Coach is a slave driver, I tell ya. Twelve laps every missed shot!"

"Shouldn't be to hard for you." Kari laughed.

"Wanna bet?" T.K. counted off on his fingers a moment. "This week alone I've done…somewhere near two hundred.…"

"Ouch." Kari grimaced. "Must be rough."

"Yeah." he looked up, seeing the side street to his right. "Listen, I gotta run. I've got to get dinner started."

"Yeah, see ya." Kari waved her friend down the street. Then she spotted what she'd really come to look for and hurried to catch up with him.

The red head turned at the sound of footsteps behind him. The brown-haired girl he met yesterday behind him, trying to keep her eyes on him without being noticed. He stopped and turned, smiling. "Hey."

"Hi." she brushed her bangs back nervously, grinning to hide it all. "Fancy meeting you again."

"Indeed." he laughed. "If we're going to keep running into each other like this, perhaps we should introduce ourselves…"

"Oh, yes!" the girl blushed, a bit rushed. "My name is Kari. Kari Kamiya."

"Kari." the boy smiled. "That's a nice name. It suits you."

Kari smiled, glad with the compliment, and looked up at the taller boy. "And… You are…?"

"Shuuichi Minamino." he said with a bit of afterthought. "But my friends call me…Kurama."

"Kurama." Kari tried it out on her lips. It felt pleasant, enjoyable, and she didn't even stop to think about how he could have gotten 'Kurama' out of 'Shuuichi Minamino'. "It's nice to meet you, Kurama."

"You as well."

T.K. slid to a stop after a minute, knocking himself on the head. "That's right…" he muttered. "I was going to give Kari back the book she leant me!"

He hurried back up the street, hoping to catch her before she got too far. But when he saw he stopped stared a moment, a bit surprised. She was talking to another boy, about a head taller than her, with long, red hair and dressed in blue. Kari was fidgeting a bit, something she did not often do.

T.K. felt a bit of jealousy perk up in the back of his head. "Who is that guy?" he muttered to himself. "What the heck is Kari doing with him? What is the deal?"


	2. Rival Encounter

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*blowing lots of bubbles with the funny little wand-thingy* Yeah! Bubble bubbly bubbles…*notices people standing and staring at her* Oh…hi there…heh…Let's get on with the story then!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, Digimon, or anything else of all that official stuff. *sniffs the air* Coooookiiieees…*runs after hot-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies, bounding like Hiei*

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Digimon Hakusho

Chapter 2: Rival Encounter

"Kari…Hey, Kari?"

"Hm?"

Kari looked up. Yolei was tapping her on the shoulder, and the other girls around them were staring at her strangely. "What's with you?" Yolei asked worriedly. "You've been staring at the school flag for the past ten minutes."

"Sorry…" Kari giggled a bit, brushing her bangs back. "Just letting my mind wander, you know?"

"Your mind usually isn't the type to wander off." Miko noted, pushing her lunch away. "What's up? Not feeling good or something?"

"Oh no, nothing like that." Kari flushed a bit red, enjoying the attention.

Cona got a mischievous grin on her face. "Oh, _I_ know that look." she snickered. "So where'd you meet him?"

"Who?" Kari coughed a bit, making it difficult.

"You know who!" Cona laughed. "The boy you've _obviously_ got on your mind!"

"Ooo, a boy?!" Miko leaned over the table, and soon the whole group huddled up. "Details, Kari, details!"

"I bet I know." Yolei dropped her voice down. "It's T.K., isn't it? Come on, please tell me it's T.K.!"

"T.K.?" Cona asked. "As in, _Takaishai_? Oooh, he _is_ hot!"

"No!" Kari snapped, completely serious. "T.K. is a friend, nothing more."

"So who is it?" Yolei asked, sitting back down.

Kari turned red with blush, putting a hand to her cheek in a dreamy expression. "His name is Kurama." she sighed. "He goes to that big private school half-way 'cross town, and he's absolutely gorgeous…"

"Kurama?" Miko said outloud. "What a strange name…what's his last name?"

"It's a nickname." Kari smiled. "His real name's Shuuichi. Shuuichi Minamino."

"I've heard of him!" Cona laughed. "My sister goes to his school, and she says every chick in the place is after him, the ones with boyfriends included!"

"What's he like?" Yolei asked, excited again.

"Well, he's got this beautiful, long red hair…" Kari went into a long and detailed explanation of her crush's looks and personality, but none of the girls noticed that there was someone eavesdropping on their conversation.

T.K. put his fork down on his tray, suddenly lacking the appetite. He could hear the girls at the next table, and hear Kari gushing over that red-haired boy from earlier. It made his blood boil just to think about it, even as he dumped his tray in the trash and started outside.

"What the heck does she see in that pretty-boy?" he muttered bitterly to himself as he wandered onto the schoolyard. "She's hardly met him, I'm sure, and she's hanging all over him! What is the deal?"

_"Jealous, jealous." _the stupid voice in his head taunted. _"Tee-Kay is jealous. Jealous, jealous…"_

"I'm _not_ jealous." he told himself. "I'm just worried…What if this guy tries something funny?"

Right then and there he made up his mind. It wouldn't be much to check up on that red-haired freak, just following him a bit after school. If there was any funny business happening, it wasn't beyond him to punch the dude's lights out.

~ * ~ * ~

Kurama walked down the street, heading for the team's scheduled rendezvous place in an ally behind these apartment buildings. The girl, Kari, had not been able to 'run into' him today, he'd left school much later than usual and she'd been forced to go home. It was a bit of a break for him, she'd met him there every 

"There you are, Kurama!" Yusuke sighed as he came around the last dumpster to the dead-end side street. He was leaning against the wall with one leg up. "It's about time! Keiko's gonna murder me…"

"Why would there be any trouble with Keiko?" Kurama asked, smiling.

"I had to stand her up to get here…" Yusuke muttered. "There'll be hell to pay the next time I see her…"

"Well, it serves you right!" Kuwabara grunted from where he was sitting with his back against the brick wall. "You should be ashamed of yourself, just blowing her off like that!"

"Oh, shut up…" Yusuke muttered.

"Hn." Hiei took a few steps forward, looking up at his red-haired companion. "I would like to know the point of gathering us all here in this disgusting place. Let's hear it, Kurama."

Kurama brushed his hair away from his eyes, contemplating what he would say before answering. "Well, you see…There's this girl now, who's been following me around for the past week."

"So?" Yusuke shook his head back and forth. "You've got a whole fan club, Kurama, we'd all be so lucky as to have your problems."

"That's not it." Kurama sighed. "This girl is…different."

"Wait." Hiei widened his eyes slightly. "Is this the brown-haired girl you met before? The one you said had a very unique energy pattern?"

"Indeed." Kurama nodded. "Her energy has a very distinct wavelength to it…"

T.K. was watching them from his place sitting behind a near-by dumpster. _"They're talking about Kari!" _he exclaimed in his mind, eyes wide. _"Energy pattern? Who are…These guys?"_

"In fact, there's only one other being that I know of with anything remotely similar to it." Kurama continued, smiling a bit.

"Really?" Yusuke asked. "Who?"

"There's a boy I've seen with he before." Kurama said, brushing back his long hair. "His energy has a rather similar pattern, but a different wave-length, so I believe they have something special in common."

"Sort've like how you and Hiei feel kinda the same as Yukina?" Kuwabara asked gruffly. "That's 'cause you're all demons, right?"

"True, though these two are obviously pure human." Kurama nodded. "Perhaps they share some special power or other human characteristic."

"So what's the big deal about that?" Yusuke sighed.

"It's rare to find two humans with a unique matching pattern." Hiei muttered. "The patterns are like finger prints, no two humans or demons has exactly the same time, and most are wildly different. If energies are similar, than so are the human's destinies."

"Indeed." Kurama nodded. "And I get the feeling that there might be many more with this particular type."

"How do you know that?" Kuwabara wondered.

"When humans come in contact , they rub off a bit of their energy on one another." Kurama explained. T.K. looked down at his hands. He didn't see anything. "If it's similar, they blend in slightly, but in this case the different layers of wavelength are definite."

"So this is probably a team…" Hiei nodded. "Do you think they're a threat?"

"They are something to make note of…But I do not believe that they mean us or any one else any harm, so I don't believe they are a threat." then he broke into a smile, laughing a bit at the thought. "However, I believe that young man doesn't think quite the same. I believe he feels quite threatened by me."

T.K. stiffened. Now they were talking about _him_. "What makes you say that?" Yusuke asked.

"He's been shadowing me for the past five blocks…"

"Hello there."

T.K. let out a cry, looking up into the ugly face of the tall orange-haired boy. Before he could run, the other one had grabbed him in a sort of head lock with one arm and lifted him up three inches from the ground, dragging him over to the others in the group.

"Lookie what I found." he grunted, dragging him over to the middle of the group. "Looks like somebody's been eavesdropping."

"H-Hey you big oaf! Put me down!" T.K. shouted, kicking the guy in the knees though he was aiming for something a little higher. "Leggo 'a me!"

"Kuwabara, you idiot, put him down!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"He does deserve and explanation." Kurama said with his usual gentle, even-tempered tone. "We must seam very rude, talking about himself and his friends behind their backs."

Kuwabara released his lock and T.K. dropped to the ground. He was off-balance and fell back on his knees when he first re-connected. "Jeez…big gorilla…"

A hand suddenly appeared above him, about to help him up. T.K. looked up to find the long-haired red head Kari had been talking to, and found his jealousy sprouting again. "I apologize." Kurama smiled. "Please, allow me to help you up."

"I don't need your help." T.K. muttered, brushing the hand away and standing on his own.

"Stubborn, are you?" Kurama laughed a bit.

"This the boy you were talkin' 'bout, Kurama?" Yusuke asked, examining T.K.'s face so closely it made him nervous.

"He's the one, all right." Kurama nodded.

"I see what you mean about his energy having a unique pattern." Hiei muttered. "Interesting…"

T.K. glanced between them, measuring his chances against each of them. He didn't stand a chance in a fist-fight against the curly-haired idiot who'd grabbed him in the first place, he was pure muscle. The shrimpy one didn't look like he would be trouble, until you noticed the long, sharp katana at his right side. Not to mention, his eyes had a sort of blood thirst in them, so rule out going in that way.

That left the green-suited boy with the black gang hairstyle, and the red-haired guy he's followed here in the first place. The guy in the green uniform was a definite street punk, it was possible he could take him if he needed to, and this Kurama guy looked like a bookworm. The pretty-boy intellectual type. If he needed to run for it, going his way was probably the best choice, but he got the feeling that these guys weren't your normal street gang, so he'd better be careful…

He glared at them, untrusting. "Who are you guys?" he demanded. "And what do you want with Kari?"

Kurama smiled a bit. "Heard the whole thing, did you?" he laughed. "Well, don't worry. We're not some cult, and we're not after her."

The glare in T.K.'s eyes might as well have said, "I don't believe you, you freak of nature."

Yusuke gave the blonde boy a lop-sided grin. "You think you're pretty tough, don'cha, kid?" he laughed. "But _I _see what's going on…You've got a crush on that girl, don't you?"

"That's none of your business!" T.K. shouted, blushing furiously.

"That's enough." Kurama silenced his friends, then turned with a smile to T.K., addressing the younger boy rather formally. "Whether or not we are a threat to you is not truly the question. We as a group have no need to be interested in your friendship or team as it may seam. However…" he smiled a mischievous smile. "I believe the girl would be rather disappointed if I broke contact with her…"

"You stay away from Kari!" T.K. exclaimed.

Kurama smiled at him, then the group turned and seamed to disappear into the darkness of twilight. T.K. was left standing there, upset and angry, and swearing to himself that, no matter what it took, he would save Kari from them.

He swore.


	3. Kidnapping

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A lot of people said they were sick of Kari's 'drooling over Kurama'. Let's face it, any girl who's enamored by that guy acts the same way. Even worse when he goes Youko… Mm…Youko…

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Disclaimer: Here's the list of things I own:

1) A watch

2) Sunglasses

3) ------

4) --------

5) -------

As you can see, neither Digimon nor Yu Yu Hakusho is on that list. So obviously I don't own either one. Bleh.

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Digimon Hakusho

Chapter 3: Kidnapping

Kari quickly packed up her things into her bag. She didn't want to miss Kurama again today, she was excited. There was a little extra money in her bag, she wanted to see if he'd go to a coffee shop or something with her. It certainly was…sophisticated enough.

"Kari!" someone suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and she found herself looking into T.K.'s bright blue eyes.

She was taken aback by her friend's sudden appearance. "T.K.?" she gasped. "What's the matter?"

"Kari, you _can't_ see that guy anymore!" T.K. insisted. "That…that redhead and his friends…they're freaks!"

Kari pushed him off of her, glaring angrily. "You don't know anything about him!" she snapped.

"I'm telling you!" T.K. exclaimed. "Last night…I saw him and his weird friends…They were talking about you, they're all…"

"You were _following_ him?!" Kari yelled. They were really lucky they were the only ones in the general hallway, or they'd be getting several strange looks. "I can't believe you'd do that, T.K.!"

"But I…"

"I mean, Davis, maybe…" Kari went on, furious. "But _you_? I meet a guy I really like to talk to and you get jealous? I really thought you were more than that!"

"Kari, _listen_ to me!" T.K. cried, but she brushed past him angrily, clutching her schoolbag tight.

"Just leave me alone, T.K.!" she snapped. "I've got control over my own life, and I'll thank you to stay out of it!"

T.K. stood there a moment, speechless. _"She's just being stubborn."_ his mind told him. _"She doesn't know…She has no idea…But when that guy pulls something, she'll see…"_

"I can't let that happen…" he muttered, following after her slowly. She wouldn't know he was there, but he'd make sure she was safe.

~ * ~ * ~

"Keiko, please!" Yusuke begged, following after his steaming girlfriend. "I swear I couldn't…"

"Shut up, Yusuke!" she yelled, spinning on her heels and shouting in his face. "I don't want to hear your excuses! You've been almost completely ignoring me all month! The least you could have done was called yesterday, but no, you just blew me off!"

"Keiko, I'm sorry!"

"'Sorry' doesn't cut it, Yusuke!" Keiko snapped.

"Well, whattya want me to _do_?!" Yusuke exclaimed. "I've done everything you've said since the last mission! I've gone to school, taken you out whenever I could, told you everything that's happened…"

"Just shut up." Keiko muttered quietly. "Look, Yusuke, I don't know if I can keep this relationship up much longer. You say you're telling me everything, but I still feel like you're hiding something and if you're not gonna tell me…I just need a little time alone right now, okay?"

She spun on her heel and stomped around the corner. Yusuke stared after her a moment, then sighed, turning away as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Jeez…What does she want from me?" he muttered angrily. "I can't tell her _everything_…She knows too much already…Koenma would fry me…"

A familiar scream sounded from where Keiko had disappeared. Yusuke's head snapped up. "Keiko!" He gasped, sliding around the corner.

"Stay back!" Keiko was screaming, whacking the creature wildly. It wasn't like any demon Yusuke had ever seen. It looked like a gigantic abominable snowman, white and hairy, wielding what looked like a huge bone. It looked almost too cartoonish to be a demon, but still dangerous.

"Get away from her!" the street punk shouted, pushing spirit energy behind his punch. The thing looked at the boy and growled. Yusuke jumped back, surprised. "Not…even…a _scratch_?"

For a moment, the demon turned its attention away from Keiko. She should have run, but she was frozen in fear and the monster probably would have hit her anyway, it was too close. The monster glared at Yusuke, then pulled the bone back behind its head. "Bone Boomerang!"

The bone came flying at Yusuke. The boy jumped back, pushing off a wall, which was instantly demolished as the bone crashed into it. "Yusuke!" Keiko screamed as he stumbled to a halt.

"Alright then…" Yusuke pointed his finger at the monster, it started to glow warm. "Try it raw! Spirit Gun!"

The blast of Spirit Energy shot from the tip of his 'gun', the kick of Yusuke's anger pushing him back several feet. The white creature took it full-on and disappeared into a cloud of smoke. "Gotcha." Yusuke laughed.

From the dust, a giant bone came flying and sent Yusuke hurling into the remains of that wall. The creature emerged, singed and scratched, but more angry than wounded, and surveyed the crumpled form. Keiko was shaking visibly, tears splashing down. Was he even alive?

"…Not dead." mumbled the creature, turning back to her. "Good. Master not be pleased if dead."

Keiko gulped, stumbling back. That was the last thing she saw before it all went black.

~ * ~ * ~

T.K. sat in a booth of a coffee shop, mixing a cube of sugar into his tea unemotionally. He'd managed to follow Kari and that Kurama guy in here, they were sitting two booths away, and it made him feel sick.

They'd both been quiet for a bit, Kari out of shyness and the redhead just being polite. He'd heard them go over various topics, school, family, that kind of thing… Nothing weird, he hadn't tried anything. It was all just so…normal.

T.K.'s muscles tensed suddenly. He felt something…he couldn't quite explain it, but he _felt_ something coming. Whatever it was, it was big…and strong…and defiantly _not_ friendly.

"Kurama?" he could hear Kari asking, and noticed the other boy had gone strangely rigid as well, he was staring out the window. "Is something wrong? Kurama?"

"Get down." the redhead whispered

Kari blinked. "What?"

"Get _down_!"

Kurama grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her onto the ground, just as the window next to them exploded inward. Customers and waiters screamed and started to run. T.K. jumped to his feet, and Kurama was seconds ahead of him, clutching a rose he seamed to have pulled from his hair.

T.K. blinked, staring at the figure out the window in surprise. It was nothing like any Digimon he'd ever seen, although it didn't seam like it could be anything else. It had a vaguely humanoid shape, but more like Ogremon's than an actually human. That's what it most reminded him of, Ogremon, but it was twice the Digimon's size, packed with pure muscle and blood red skin. It had two horns, long, black hair and beard, and beady little, glaring eyes. It was wearing a tiger-striped loincloth, similar to Ogremon's, but at the same time you could tell it wasn't anything like the green Digimon.

"What is that thing?!" Kari exclaimed.

"Stay down." Kurama hissed, suddenly leaping over the table. There was a resounding _snap_ and the rose he was holding was suddenly a long, green, thorny whip, cracking towards the monster.

Kari dropped back, shocked, as the red-haired boy knocked the creature back. She heard a breathless voice calling her name, but it was drowned out by another crash behind her. She barely had time to turn before her senses swam and it all faded to black.

"Kari!" T.K. exclaimed. Another…Digimon, or whatever…had struck her in the back of the head. This one looked rather like a giant, humanoid bat, carrying a huge club and sporting long claws. Two bat wings grew out of its back.

"Ah…perfect…" it hissed, gathering the girl up. "Masters will be quite pleased…"

This was one of the times T.K. really wished they didn't leave the Digimon in the Digital World in-between meetings. The bat-thing tried to take to the air, but as it left the ground T.K. grabbed onto its clawed feet and was taken up with it.

"What do you think you're doing?!" it yelled.

"You're not taking her…" T.K. growled, attempting to grab a hold of Kari's limp hand, not really noticing they were at least fifty feet off the ground.

"Annoying pest…" the bat growled as the boy managed to pull himself up next to the girl. The bat struck out, cutting a long gash above his right eye, but he responded by hitting it as hard as he could in the face.

The bat hissed angrily, slicing downwards. He caught the boy on the left shoulder, leaving a deep and bloody wound. T.K. let out a cry as the creature pulled him off and let him drop.

The demon Kurama had been fighting now lay in bloody ribbons on the street. He was attempting to chase after the bat demon that had Kari, but couldn't get high enough up to reach her.

He slid to a stop when he saw the blonde-haired boy thrown loose. Stumbling back a few steps, he managed to catch him to avoid any injury from the fall, but he was barely conscious and still bleeding heavily from a shoulder wound.

Kurama looked up after the demon, but it and the girl were both gone. He could hear the sirens of police and ambulances, and rightly decided to leave.

"Good lord." he muttered quietly, hoisting the younger boy over his shoulders. "What have we gotten ourselves into now?"

TBC.


	4. Joining Forces Relucantly

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An answer for 'since when does Yusuke care what the toddler thinks': He's making up excuses so he doesn't have to admit to himself that he's worried about Keiko's safety. Hey, he's never been the brightest bulb in the box, but he manages to survive somehow…

And as for the Spirit-Energy-Not-Affecting-Digimon thing…I explain it in this chapter. It's my theory, my story, and it all works out in the end. So there.

Any ideas are greatly welcome! Especially for fight scenes…those are hard…

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Disclaimer: You all know I don't own this stuff. Why should I restate myself?

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Digimon Hakusho

Chapter 4: Joining Forces (Reluctantly)

"Whattya mean the thing I fought wasn't a demon?!"

T.K. regained consciousness to that yell. His vision blurred a moment, the re-focused with a blink to reveal that he was lying in a green-clothed bed, in the middle of a neatly kept bedroom. There was a window open to one side, and a door to the other, so he could hear the commotion going on down-stairs.

He sat up, groaning, then groped at the wound he was sure had been in his left shoulder. To his surprise, it was completely gone, with barely a scar. The only remnants of it was a dull ache, as though he had been in pain moments ago.

"Just like I said, Yusuke." an unfamiliar female voice floated up as he stumbled out of bed. "It may sound strange, but the creature that went after you and Keiko _wasn't_ a _demon_. It was…oh, how do I explain this…"

"My Spirit Gun barely made a dent in the thing!" the one identified as Yusuke was shouting at the top of his lungs. "It just kept coming, how the hell does _that_ happen?"

"The creature you fought was on a completely different wave-length than your Spirit Gun!" the girl snapped. "It just slid off it! That's how it _works_!"

T.K. managed to make his way to the open door, and was now standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at the noise-makers. The two that were yelling at each other were the black-haired-street-punk from the other day, and an unfamiliar blue-haired girl dressed in a blue sailor-school-girl uniform. Scattered around the room were the other three from the ally, including that red-haired boy.

It was he who spoke now, addressing the blue-haired girl. "Botan…The creatures that attacked me were both obviously of demon origin. I felt it, caught its sent…If what Yusuke fought wasn't a demon, what was it?"

The girl…Botan, T.K. guessed, brushed her hair back. "It's…well, to be perfectly blunt, it's a computer program."

T.K. stiffened a bit, steadying himself against the banister as the orange-haired boy sat up. "A computer? You're joking!"

"Completely serious." Botan sighed, dropping into a chair.

The blue-haired ferry girl eyed her companions a moment before she continued. "It's hard to explain. Originally, these things were data left over from the creation of the internet in the 1970s-1980s. Something about their information let them group together and create beings of artificial intelligence called…called Di…Digimon, I believe."

"'Digimon'?" Yusuke asked incredulously.

"It's supposed to be short for 'Digital Monsters', and that's quite literally what they are. This program that created them has even made a whole other dimension in the mainframe of the internet." Botan checked her notes. "I believe that would be where they've taken Keiko and that other girl."

"Wait a sec!" Kuwabara interrupted. "If this is all some computer program, how can Keiko be inside it? That's impossible!"

"I don't know how to explain it!" Botan snapped, the stress starting to wear on her. "The program has somehow taken on the solid form of a completely different dimension, a whole other world, populated by creatures as powerful as demons! Some of them are pretty pathetic, the lower 'levels' are mostly the strength of an E-superior, but the highest ones, those that cause the most trouble, could be as strong as A-inferiors, or more powerful than that!"

"And how're we supposed to fight these things if Spirit Energy simply moves away from them?" Kurama asked, and Hiei 'hn'ed in agreement.

"When you enter their world, your energy will change to the same wavelength as their digital data." Botan sighed. "Only in their…'Digital World'…can you harm them with any human or demon tactics. So we need to find a way to go there."

"How?" Yusuke asked, sitting down. "Is there some password?"

"……I don't know." Botan admitted. Yusuke sagged into his chair. "There are supposed to be a group of people that travel freely between this world and theirs. A sort of…connection, I guess. I'm assuming that Kari girl is one of them, but how they get in, I don't know…"

"I do."

The group snapped their heads up. The blonde-haired boy was standing at the foot of the stairs, holding on to the banister. He looked like he'd just woken up, and was rather dizzy.

"You…heard all that?" Botan got blue in the face.

"Kinda hard not too." Yusuke admitted, jumping up. "But never mind that, what did you say about having a way to get there?"

The blonde boy reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a small, green-and-white plastic toy. He held it out for them to see. "This." he finally stated. "Is how to get in."

"That little thing?!" Kuwabara cried. "You have GOT to be KIDDING!! There's no way somethin' _that_ small could…"

"It opens the gate." the blonde one explained quietly. "You open the gate, you can get to the Digital World."

Botan reached forward. "If you'll just let us borrow it for a while…"

He snatched his hand up. "They only work for one person." he muttered seriously. "And this one only works for me."

Yusuke smirked, stepping up to the guy. Although T.K. was tall for his age, Yusuke was a couple of years older than he was, and quite a bit more intimidating.

"I get it." Yusuke chuckled. "You're looking for a way to get back 'in' with that little girlfriend of yours, aren'cha? So you go in for a knight and shining armor routine, but you can't manage it all on your own…"

"Shut up!" T.K. snapped, glaring at him. "Do you want my help or not?"

The five in the room glanced at each other a moment, then Kurama shrugged. "Okay. It looks like you'll have to come along. But don't say we didn't warn you…it'll be dangerous."

"Excuse me?" T.K. narrowed his eyes. "I've been going there and back since I was eight. If anyone should be lecturing on the danger there, it should be me."

Yusuke stifled a laugh. He kinda liked this kid, overprotective as he may have been. "Alright then." he clapped the younger boy on the shoulder. "We'll have to get going ASAP. Think you'll be ready tomorrow…T.K., wasn't it?"

"Takeru." the blonde muttered sourly, brushing his hand away. "It's Takeru. Only my…_friends_…call me T.K."

Kari groaned a bit, shifting uncertainly. The stone she was lying on was rough and cold, it felt slick to her touch. The familiar sub-feeling of electricity in the air told her that she was in the Digital World.

Wait a second…Digital World?!

She sat up suddenly, looking around. She was apparently in the middle of a small, featureless room with no door, window, or any kind of entrance. The only light she could see what a small orb, hanging like a bulb, just above her head.

What had…? Who had…? Where did…?

Her brain felt scrambled and shaken. She closed her eyes a moment to try and calm herself, but it didn't work, and she opened them again.

The café. She had been at the café with Kurama…Then that explosion…Kurama had covered her from the attack…Then those Digimon, and…and T.K.…and…

A slight noise from beside her got her attention. She looked over just as another girl, dressed in a powder-blue-and-yellow uniform she recognized from Sarayashiki Jr. High, sat up with a slight groan. Her hair was about shoulder-length and brown, messy as it fell into dark brown eyes.

"Ooh…My head…" she muttered, messaging her temples. "What was that thing…?"

She looked up and locked eyes with Kari. The two girls stared at each other a moment, then the one in blue sat back. "Who're you?"

"Uh…Kari Kamiya." The younger one blinked. "And…you are…?"

"Keiko Yukimura." she glanced around the small room, taking in her own set of details. "Any idea where we are?"

"Not really, no." Kari shifted a bit uncomfortably. Something about this whole situation made her a bit nervous.

"…Somehow I bet Yusuke's involved in this." Keiko muttered under her breath, eyes shifting to look at the ceiling. "If he would just _warn_ me about this kinda thing, we could probably…"

"Who's Yusuke?" Kari interrupted, blinking curiously.

Keiko looked back at her blankly, then sighed and shook her head. "Oh…just my boyfriend…" she sighed, looking around. "I wonder how we can get out of here…If Kuwabara or Kurama was around we could probably just break out."

"Yeah…Or Gatomon or Digmon would be nice…" Kari suddenly did a double-take. "Wait a sec, you know Kurama?!"

Keiko stared blankly. "You mean _you_ know Kurama?" she gaped. "Not just… Shuichi? Minamino-san? But _Kurama_?"

"Yes." Kari leaned forward. "What's so strange about that?"

"You have no idea…" Keiko shifted so that she could lean against the wall. "Well…if we're gonna get out of here, I suppose you really should know what we're up against…"

Kari shifted as well. She didn't exactly know who the girl was, or why they were there, or who had brought them there in the first place, but she did know that melding their ideas was going to take quite a while…

**__**

TBC…

Okay…I'm not exactly happy with the ending, but I got another chapter done! Yeah for me!! It'll probably take a while for the next chapter…unless I get some good ideas…

Until next time…

GS


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